Influences of social capital on knowledge creation

Kural, Esra and Colantonio, Andrea and Otsuka, Noriko
(2006)
Influences of social capital on knowledge creation.
In: World Conference on Accelerating Excellence in the Built Environment. 2006, 2 - 4 October 2006, Birmingham, UK.

Abstract

This paper is a contribution towards closing the gap in the literature on the influence of ‘social
capital’ on project-level knowledge processes (e.g. knowledge creation and sharing). Its primary
aim is to identify how the structural dimension of ‘social capital’, i.e. social networks, influences
knowledge creation capability of integrated project teams in the construction industry. First,
social networks of teams are analysed. Then, knowledge creation capacity inherent in these
networks is evaluated. This evaluation is based on knowledge/information flows within teams as
an important condition of knowledge creation. The paper concludes with the identification and
verification of potential improvement areas in terms of the teams’ knowledge creation capability
and absorptive capacity; and their utilisation of social networks.